October 1890

Wednesday 1st   It was a fine day.  The boys were cutting bush.  I was mending fences.

Thursday 2nd   It was a fine day.  The boys were digging in the orchard.  I was digging near the Vicar of Wakefield Pear tree.

Friday 3rd   It rained very heavily last night and the ground was very wet this morning.  The boys were cutting bush.  I was splitting palings.

Saturday 4th   It was a fine day.  We were all digging in the orchard in the morning.  I mended up the fence between the orchard and the pigs paddock.  Revd McKinney called in the evening.

Sunday 5th   It was a fine day.  Revd R. McKinney preached in the Hall in the morning, there was a large congregation.  Ted Greenwood came for dinner.  I read service in the afternoon.
Mr & Mary Anne Pratt & Charlie & Maggie came here for tea.  Tom Pratt came in the evening and we had a lot of singing.

Monday 6th   It was a fine day.  The boys were digging all day in the orchard.  I sowed a bed of Onions (James’ Keeping)  the bed 5 ft wide, 5 rows in the bed about 11 inches apart, I sowed fine bone dust & ashes in the drills.

Tuesday 7th   It was fine all day, but there were a few showers in the evening.  The boys were digging in the orchard.  I thinned out the Turnips, dug over the other Onion bed and resowed the Peas the top side of the house which have been eaten off by slugs.  Mrs Fordham came in the afternoon and staid for tea.  Sent away a registered letter to Messrs Cuthbertson & Morton enclosing £2 and ordering some goods.

Wednesday 8th  Henry hauled some goods for Mr Walter in the morning, and was digging round the young Lemon trees in the afternoon.  John & I dug and manured for 12 pumpkins.  It was a very fine day.  “Spot” calved, a heifer calf.

Thursday 9th   It was a fine day.   Cut all the grass between the rows of Fruit Trees, we haule manure in a box sledge with John’s horse put it into heaps between the trees and spread it.
In the afternoon we yoked up the bullocks and ploughed in the manure leaving a furrow in the centre.

Friday 10th    It was fine all day, but the wind changed round to the NE and we had a little rain in the evening.  The boys beat down the other onion bed and were then digging at the Lemon Trees.  I stuck the row of Peas near the path.

Saturday 11th   John went with Mr Walter to Big Omaha to draw the net, he brought home 25 fish.  Henry & I  replanted some Potatoes.  I mended the fence near the closet.  It rained in the afternoon.

Sunday 12th   The wind has been blowing from the NE since Friday.  There were a few showers of rain.  Henry went to Pakiri in the afternoon with Herbert Fordham to J. Bennetts he took him some seeds over, and got in exchange some Pumpkin Seed etc.  I read service in the Hall in the afternoon, there was a pretty fair congregation.  I went to Charlies for tea,  Willie & Miss Pratt & Mr Rayner were here.

Monday 13th   The weather was very dull & threatening, but it did not rain.  We commenced to plant Negro Beans, but we were afraid of the weather so we dug near Damson Trees.  The Drawing Instructor was at the School.

Tuesday 14th   The wind has changed to the SW and it was very blowy.  We replanted the Potatoes also a few Kumeras.  In the pm I went down to McLaughlin’s and bought some cheap goods.
Mr Dickinson the Inspector examined the School today.  Minnie passed into the 6th Standard & Jane passed into the 5th Standard.
Mrs Joseph Greenwood died early this morning.

Wednesday 15th   Henry hauled some Flour etc for us, also some goods for T. K.  &  G. K.
We were planting Negro Beans in the orchard.  I planted 5 hills of Pumpkin, seed from J. Bennett.  Strong winds blowing, heavy rain in the afternoon.

Thursday 16th  I finished planting the pumpkin seed from J. Bennett, 12 hills in all.  We continued planting Negro Beans.
Mrs Joseph Greenwood was buried in the afternoon.  I walked up the hill with Mr Walter.  Mr R. McKinney officiated at the grave. There were a great number attendees.   Mr Lane, Miss, Willie & Fred Pratt came up here for tea.

Friday 17th   It rained heavily last night, and the ground was too wet to dig.  We made a new bridge at the back of the house.  In the afternoon we planted out 35 Manchester Defiance Cabbages.  We also continued digging near the Golden Custer Apple tree.

Saturday 18th   It rained heavily last night and nearly all this morning, but it was fine in the afternoon, with the exception of a few showers.  We did not do anything out of doors.  The boys were digging gum all day.  Willie Pratt came in the evening  and staid over the Sunday.

Sunday 19th   It was very showery and squally.  I read service in the afternoon, there were very few present.  Alex Meiklejohn came for tea.

Monday 20th   The ground was too wet to continue planting beans.  We continued digging near the Golden Custer Apple tree.  It rained in the afternoon & we had to leave off.  I went to Mr Walter’s in the evening.

Tuesday 21st   It rained heavily last night and the ground was too wet to dig in this orchard.  We went and commenced to dig in the Farm Orchard, we commenced at the Orleans Plum tree near the hedge.  It came on to rain in the afternoon and we had to leave off work.

Wednesday 22nd   It rained nearly all day.  We were not able to work out of door.  Mr R. Thompson addressed the electors in the Hall in the evening.

Thursday 23rd   The ground was too wet to dig in the morning so we cut down the Pine Trees in front of the house.  In the afternoon we dug over in the farm orchard.  It was a fine day with the exception of one slight shower.

Friday 24th   The boys planted Maize the far side of the orchard.  I was moulding up Potatoes.  I called at Charlies & then went to the Library in the evening.

Saturday 25th   Charlie came early in the morning to cut our Lambs.  They were as follows
Wethers   24
Ewes           20
Total           44
Walter Frearson came and took away one ewe & one lamb.  John & I cleaned all the Sheep.  Henry went with Mr Walter to Great Omaha to draw the net.  He brought home 18 fish.

Sunday 26th   It rained heavily last night and most of this morning, but cleared up in the afternoon.  I went down to the Hall but there was no service.  There was a very heavy shower in the evening & then it cleared up and was a beautiful moonlight night.  I went up to Mr Neeleys in the evening to take some papers.

Monday 27th   It was a fine day.  We dug over in the farm orchard.  The girls staid at home and picked up manure to put round the trees.

Tuesday 28th   It rained heavily last night, but it was a very fine day, strong wind from the SW.  The girls staid at home to pick up manure.  We dug in the farm orchard, but as the wind was blowing so strong we commenced to dig at the hedge near the Pear trees.  There was a Social in the Hall in the evening got up by the young people that attend the Rinking and dancing on Tuesday & Saturday evenings.  There was not so many as there would have been on account of death of Mrs Joseph Greenwood, the Steamer brought several ladies from Mahurangi Heads.  It was a very successful affair, we all went and enjoyed ourselves very much, they kept it up until daylight.

Wednesday 29th   It was a fine day.  John went over on his horse in the morning to Mr Ashton’s to get our Turkey cock, he also brought home some Pumpkin Seeds.  Henry went up to Neeley’s to get one of our calves out of his place.  I stuck the two rows of Peas at the top side of the house.  In the afternoon the boys dug in their own gardens.

Thursday 30th   It was a fine day.  I sowed two rows of Veitch’s Perfection Peas the upper side of the house next to the others 4 ft apart.  We were planting Negro Beans in the orchard in rows 2 ft apart.

Friday 31st   It was a hot day.  We finished planting Negro Beans in the orchard.